As I was reading your Renton Reporter, April 26 edition of Mayor Jesse Tanner's letter, "Renton City Hall, marvelous asset," I couldn't believe that any resident could be taking such a position. Then I looked for the author's name--and understood all too well. All that explanation as to what, how, why, and how much was as shallow in thinking as it was long in text.

The fact is that, even at the bargain price for the building obtained by the strong-arm tactic of condemnation, both the building and subsequent modifications have been and still are both an extravagance and terrible inconvenience that the public should not have had to bear either now or over the years until the bill is paid.

Comparison to expenditures by other local government is irrelevant, because it is all the same insanity that implodes a 20-year-old earthquake-proof public structure not yet paid for, in favor of an open-air stadium in a damp climate.

The mayor is very fortunate to hold office during an economic boom when he can begin such projects and be gone before things get tight. Elected officials are supposed to accomplish what is good for the people, not please government employees, many of whom live elsewhere.

Therein lies the true motivation for this "jewel." A less-than-popular city council member and mayor used a bonafide need [and that now is in question] for space for public safety employees to create a more favorable legacy for himself by providing all city employees a spacious new home.

An empire-building staff can immediately begin to justify new positions to fill all the empty space in this "gleaming treasure" at residents' expense, and that terrible old dilapidated municipal building in a park-like environment can somehow be rented to private enterprises at a huge profit.

One can't blame the electorate for its choice of leaders when the special interests, news media, and political establishment sing the praises of their own and defile anyone truly motivated to put citizens in control. This is why we have people from the public sector in control of our lives. Renton's current mayor came from the FAA, the previous mayor came from the public school system, and his predecessor was the wife of a state-elected official beholden to a large corporation who had never held a responsible job in her life.

For 24 years, Renton government will have been a reflection of their thinking; and boards and commissions everywhere are monopolized by similar expertise and attitudes.

I recently wrote Mayor Tanner, asking why the ill-feelings in the Renton Police Department had been allowed to smolder for so many years under a supposedly "strong mayor" governmental form, and requesting that he take the leadership to put an end to the political persecution of individual citizens begun in 1980.

Instead of assuming his assigned leadership responsibility, he again resorted to strong-arm tactics by delegating his response to the city attorney in the strangest message I have ever received from that office-- confusing, incomplete, and seemingly without clear purpose.

I invite the mayor to make available to the news media and any interested public (not his opinion or version of) but our whole series of actual communications beginning Nov. 30, 1999.

As you can see, Mr. Mayor, at least one citizen can find no reason to take civic pride in what you have done.
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Posted: 06/22/00